Toy Association Invites Members to Join the Fight Against Counterfeit Toys in DC; Continues to Address Issue in Congress

March 6, 2020 | The Toy Association will lead an Intellectual Property (IP) Fly-In this summer, giving toy company representatives and Association staff the opportunity to meet with administration officials and congressional offices to discuss key toy industry priorities concerning the prevalence of unsafe, counterfeit toys sold through e-commerce platforms. The Toy Association’s IP Fly-In will take place June 3 to 4 in Washington, DC.

“The Toy Association has laid the groundwork and we are starting to see members of Congress and the Administration act on our concerns,” said Rebecca Mond, vice president of federal government affairs at The Toy Association. “Our ‘Fight Against Fake Toys Fly-In’ will help strengthen our message by raising visibility on the impact counterfeits have on your companies and the consumers you sell to. Together, we will advocate for concrete solutions and legislation to address this problem.”

The Fly-In will begin on the afternoon of June 3 with a briefing for all attendees, followed by an evening reception with invited congressional representatives. Meetings on Capitol Hill will take place throughout the day on June 4. Toy Association members are urged to participate in this opportunity to connect directly with legislators. Contact Heather Easley to sign up and learn more.

Recognizing that coronavirus may impact members’ travel, we are continuing to monitor developments and will provide updates should it impact the dates of the Fly-In.

The Toy Association’s Fly-In announcement coincides with additional Congressional attention on the issue of unsafe counterfeits sold online. A hearing was held Wednesday by the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Consumer Protection regarding fake and unsafe products on online marketplaces. Toy Association submitted testimony prior to the hearing and briefed Committee staff and Subcommittee offices on industry before the hearing. Representatives of Amazon, eBay, Apple, Consumer Reports, Public Citizen, and Specialized Bicycles also testified at the hearing.

The Toy Association also voiced its strong support for the bipartisan SHOP SAFE Act introduced earlier this week.

“The Toy Association works year-round to represent your concerns on the hill but having our members by our side strengthens our message,” added Mond. “The Fly-In will give us the additional opportunity to express our support for the SHOP SAFE Act, as well as the SANTA Act introduced late last year. We are encouraged to see this legislation come through and will continue to urge officials to act swiftly on this priority issue.”